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One is a pre-production prototype that shot the launch footage. Generally these usually have more issues than production cameras.

The other two are off the shelf bodies bought for me from a retailer without knowledge of the end user. In other words they wouldn't have known it was for me.

So yeah nice try, but not cherry picked.

No one so far has complained about magenta corners or FPN in my work. I use them all and have done so now on many jobs in many countries for many international networks.

On my current series for FOX / USA I use one of the three daily right alongside Alexa Mini's. In pre for this series I tested a RED weapon. It failed miserably and didn't get out of the test bay because I couldn't even get the TEST footage off the card. No amount of RED UNDEAD or work by either Panavision or the experienced DIT could revive it. RED wanted $$ to recover the card ! Guess which camera didn't get to the starting line.

(I was honestly astounded that RED apparently charge you money to recover media)

My long time key camera assistant in Australia right after doing a series with me where we used the same three bodies in very difficult conditions as the "A" camera tells me the Netflix show he's on now is having horrendous issues with their RED's (Weapons and Dragon) Firstly they've run out of black shading memories for the variables of tempreture they shoot in and now they've decided to just shoot their high speed with a 360 deg shutter, because even though the camera is meant to make the adjustment automatically, it doesn't and the don't have another black shade memory available. In other words, they get FPN at high speed ! The work around is to shoot the same exposure time, so they shoot at 50 FPS / 360 degree shutter.

The same three Ursa 4.6K bodies I own did a whole series without any issues including a shoot in one of the most remote parts of Australia where the average daily tempreture is around 113 Degrees F. No FPN. The Ursa bodies got so hot you could barely touch it. The attached picture was taken on the last shoot day. Pretty sure the RED wouldn't cut it going by the thermal problems they were having in more mild conditions down south.

He listed a whole bunch of other issues, but the most amusing one that stuck in my mind was that if they flip the RED monitor, the recorded IMAGE flips in the camera....!? Naturally the legendary RED service was great in pre and is nowhere to be seen now mid shoot and they aren't getting any help at all.

So to re-iterate...

Regular bodies bought for a show I did that didn't know it was "for me".

They've passed many broadcast tech checks on different shows on finished episodes as well as dailies reports in the most adverse of conditions where other cameras have failed.

They've earned the right to be considered production ready. I just got an updated manifesto for the series I'm on now and the showrunner basically mandated a UM4.6K pass on every scene (we use a stripped back camera to do hand held close range subjective passes).

Ok, I'm not allowed to post any pics of the set or what job it was on (minus the two I post as proof), but I'm going to back John up on this one. John invited me on set while he is shooting here in the Dallas Ft. Worth (DFW) area, on a full on "Hollywood" set. Back alleys full of production trucks, a army of crew members running around doing tons of task specific stuff, "famous" directors and Hollywood producers making sure everything is running smooth, famous actors... acting :P And best of all, several different camera crews scattered around getting different angles. And what was the DP (John) of the entire operation shooting on? That's right, a URSA mini 4.6. (Most of the day)
The production actually had three of them shooting at the same time, along side an Amira and Alexa mini.
I'm not positive which Arri models were used because John was shooting mostly with the 4.6. I also got sent some of the dailies from the 4.6 and they looked crazy good. And without any issues. And being dailies I know no one spent time trying to correct issues with the image.

It was crazy cool to see the chaos of a set that big with everyone running around doing task right before rolling, and then out of nowhere you would here "lock it up", it was echoed numerous times, and then nothing but silence and everyone back in their little stations waiting for the director to start barking calls.

Out of all of this John could have easily invited me on set and told me to sit in one area and stay quiet and not to talk to anyone. But that wasn't the case. I was allowed to walk around freely. The crew was probably the friendliest people I've met, always introducing theirselves and making conversations with me. John was constantly calling me over to whatever camera he was at and chatting me up. What surprised me the most was anyone who came by to ask John something or hangout, John firstly introduced me to whoever it was, AC, Director, AD, etc. It didn't matter, I was a guest and he literally treated me like one. Super nice guy.

Oh and to add on to this, It was a "stunts" day of shooting. So complete and total chaos, with car chases, guns firing, planes blowing up. So pretty much the craziest day of shooting.

Ok, I'm not allowed to post any pics of the set or what job it was on (minus the two I post as proof), but I'm going to back John up on this one. John invited me on set while he is shooting here in the Dallas Ft. Worth (DFW) area, on a full on "Hollywood" set. Back alleys full of production trucks, a army of crew members running around doing tons of task specific stuff, "famous" directors and Hollywood producers making sure everything is running smooth, famous actors... acting :P And best of all, several different camera crews scattered around getting different angles. And what was the DP (John) of the entire operation shooting on? That's right, a URSA mini 4.6. (Most of the day)
The production actually had three of them shooting at the same time, along side an Amira and Alexa mini.
I'm not positive which Arri models were used because John was shooting mostly with the 4.6. I also got sent some of the dailies from the 4.6 and they looked crazy good. And without any issues. And being dailies I know no one spent time trying to correct issues with the image.

It was crazy cool to see the chaos of a set that big with everyone running around doing task right before rolling, and then out of nowhere you would here "lock it up", it was echoed numerous times, and then nothing but silence and everyone back in their little stations waiting for the director to start barking calls.

Out of all of this John could have easily invited me on set and told me to sit in one area and stay quiet and not to talk to anyone. But that wasn't the case. I was allowed to walk around freely. The crew was probably the friendliest people I've met, always introducing theirselves and making conversations with me. John was constantly calling me over to whatever camera he was at and chatting me up. What surprised me the most was anyone who came by to ask John something or hangout, John firstly introduced me to whoever it was, AC, Director, AD, etc. It didn't matter, I was a guest and he literally treated me like one. Super nice guy.

Oh and to add on to this, It was a "stunts" day of shooting. So complete and total chaos, with car chases, guns firing, planes blowing up. So pretty much the craziest day of shooting.

To be fair to the RED, was a secure format was done on the card before shooting? (Secure format, not a normal format). You want to do a secure format after each firmware upgrade, or before you use the Pre-record function. I like to do a secure format before a shoot, and then a normal format for each card transfer during the shoot. Then secure format when shoot is finished.

To be fair to the RED, was a secure format was done on the card before shooting? (Secure format, not a normal format). You want to do a secure format after each firmware upgrade, or before you use the Pre-record function. I like to do a secure format before a shoot, and then a normal format for each card transfer during the shoot. Then secure format when shoot is finished.

I believe so. I didn't actually do the work but we had an experienced DIT with us.

I just assumed they were including both the URSA mini's and URSA's in there's. But considering BMD isn't honoring that deal and retailers generally only make 30%-45% profit on cameras would make it tight given the MRSP for the URSA mini Pro.

And that's the problem.
There is no change if there are no consequences.

I will let the eager guinea pigs dance joyously to the guillotine.
And after a few heads have rolled I will see if the pied piper is still piping.

No magenta corners or FPN for my clients thank you very much.

whether it was a severe, pervasive problem - it became one in the minds of the customer base and the consequences were that they had to stop making and selling them to make improvements and it seems that that is what they did - it will remain to be seen whether they gain trust on the new version - but it seems that they listened to people and made it a lot nicer in terms of features and flexibility.